Ok, deal. For 500 Euros, payable now, with delivery sometime in the distant future, I'll sell you das Sigma Konfiguration-Basis für die Anpassung der Sigma-Objektive and I'll paint two red dots on it for you at no extra charge.

Before we all get too excited, wait for this to get in the hands of photographers. We'll see if it really works great, or has flaws, or gives unpredictable results. Conceptually, they processed managed their service department and found a way to reduce service requests by putting adjustments back on the consumer. Nikon and Canon do it by producing lenses to higher build toerlerances and allow for micro adjustment in-camera. Since Sigma can't glum onto the in-camera micro adjustments, it had to do something. Hopefully they continue to improve their build quality. Unfortunately, improvements mean higher prices, which many photogs have an aversion to.

BenV wrote:
to say Nikon won't lose sales to Sigma or other 3rd parties is just crazy. The second people choose to buy the Sigma, Nikon just lost sales. People do know they exist. When they walk into a Bestbuy to purchase their new camera, they have a few 3rd party lenses on display.

Indeed, I bought the 85mm f/1.4 over the nikon version and will buy the 35mm f/1.4 over the nikon version too as have others. The 50mm 1.4 is the same for many.